Heart of Lead
by Posiden666
Summary: I'm a murderer. But I don't feel like one. My father is dead. My mother is too afraid of me to come near me. I have no friends. My world is a lonely, pitch-black void... Or at least it was before I met her. My name is Shino Asada, and this is my story! ShinoXKazuko. Female Kazuto. Yuri.
1. Muzzle Flash

_**~Posiden666: **__So this FanFic will be completely different from The Archery Skill. It will not have a plot that is so big it makes your head spin, it won't have so many OCs it's hard to keep track of them all, and it won't take place almost entirely in the virtual world. One thing I can say with almost complete certainty will be the same though… It will be cute._

_An update on __**The Archery Skill: **__Short hiatus, I need some time to outline the plot, and stuff like that._

_**Warning: **__Massive yuri_

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><p><strong>Heart of Lead<strong>

Chapter 1: **Muzzle Flash**

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><p>I screamed. The boy on top of me continued repeating my name. He was hissing it, muttering it, His spit covering my face. I tried to push Him off, but He was strong, and I was weak. He pinned my wrists to the floor. I kept screaming, my throat going raw. "SHUT UP!" He snapped, moving to press His face against mine.<p>

Glass stung my face, and I dimly registered the sound of a crash, muffled by His body. A streak of black flew over me, slamming into my attacker, throwing Him off of me. I struggled, sobbing, and propped myself up on my elbows, watching the fight uncomprehendingly. My savior threw Him into the back of the couch, which splintered. I could feel my arms, wet and sticky with blood, but the pain was dull, replaced with tense relief when He was slammed into the ground, unconscious. Above Him stood a figure with long black hair, with what looked like a taser glowing in her hand. They spun around. She seemed surprisingly familiar. The girl walked over to me and slid down beside me, her face kind.

"Hey," she said, looking me over.

"Hey," I whispered, shaking.

"Are you okay?" She asked, her voice full of concern.

"Yes... I think. Thank you, er..."

"Kazuko," she said, wrapping her arms loosely around me.

I was quiet for a moment, enjoying the slight comfort of her embrace. The name sounded familiar as well. "I'm Shino."

"I know who you are. You probably know me as Kirito."

My mind went blank. This was Kirito. The BOY who helped me win the BoB. "But-but you're a g-girl!"

She giggled a little bit, and then replied, "I got a rare random avatar that looked like a guy."

"Why didn't you tell me?" I stammered, feeling my face beginning to flush.

"Well…" she pondered, "It was just...I guess I thought I had a better shot of you liking me if I was a guy. It was an awkward topic," she said, looking away from me and scratching the back of her head.

My face became a thousand degrees, "You wanted me to what!?"

"I just thought you might like me more," she repeated unhelpfully.

I stayed silent. My mind going crazy. This girl liked me? Did she like-like me? Ah!

"I can see I've only made this situation more awkward, so I'll go," she said, letting go of me and beginning to get up.

I grabbed her arm, "Wait!"

She looked at me like I had gone mad, but she sat back down on the floor and asked me what I meant.

"I-I'm scared," I said. I began shivering, hoping the compassion she had shown before still remained.

"Okay," she replied, pulling me closer to her, into a warm hug.

Although I had seemed freaked out by Kazuko earlier, she felt good. "How long can you stay," I asked, looking up at her from where my head rested on her chest.

She looked down, her kind violet eyes meeting mine and letting me forget what had just happened, if only for a moment, "As long as you need," Kazuko replied.

Yay. I thought, though I didn't know why.

I nuzzled into the comfortable girl beside me slightly more, before noticing that I was still bleeding, and that the bruising He had inflicted was starting to show. I stumbled up, told her that I'd be right back and to just make herself at home, then rushed off into the bathroom.

"While you do that, I'll call the police." She yelled after me.

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><p>Several minutes later, I walked out of the bathroom having cleaned off the blood and taken out the glass shards. Kazuko sat on my couch and typing on her phone. "I'm not keeping you from something important, am I?" I asked nervously.<p>

"Huh? No, don't worry."

"Ok cool. Would you like some tea?" I asked, already starting to get out the kettle.

"Oh. Umm. Sure."

I begin to hum, not because I usually do when I make tea, but because the silence is so loud it felt like it was perforating my eardrums. I filled the kettle and put it on to boil.

"So…" the girl started awkwardly, "Where are your parents?"

"I live alone."

"Oh," she said, obviously afraid she'd hit a nerve. I finish setting up the teapot for the boiling water, and join her on the couch.

"It's nice sometimes," I lie.

She looks around the apartment, obviously in search of a topic to redirect the current conversation. The tea kettle whistles, and I get up and pour the steaming water into the pot.

"Do you have any hobbies?" She asks, as I bring the teapot and cups to the coffee table, almost dropping them due to my shaking hands.

"Not really, other than GGO. But you know about that," I offer unhelpfully. I pour us both some tea, and I sink back into the couch just a little too close to Kazuko, but she doesn't seem to mind. "So why do you carry a taser?"

"Oh, this," She asks, picking it up and fiddling with it. "Because carrying a sword around would look funny. And this is non-lethal."

"You really like swords, don't you?"

"Well," she started, "It's complicated"

"Oh?"

"Remember what I said about Sword Ar-"

A loud banging sounded on the door. "It's the police," spoke a voice from outside.

We both stood up, I was shaking a little. Kazuko gave me a brief hug, and went over to the door.

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><p>"Thank you for your cooperation, ladies," said the officer, dragging the handcuffed unconscious boy out of Shino's apartment.<p>

"Well, I'm glad that's over with," I said, half because it was true, and half to try to break the endless silence.

I fail: the silence continues.

We keep standing there for a few more minutes. Neither of us spoke a word. Our breathing seemed loud in the silent room.

"So…" I started, grasping at straws for a topic that we could talk about, walking back to the couch and sitting down, "What was it like to be in Sword Art Online?"

She walked over to me, collapsing into the soft couch, "We aren't really supposed to talk about it," she sighed.

In a last attempt to lose myself in the conversation and not think about what had just occurred, I wrapped my arms around her, resting my head on her shoulder, and began to shiver, "Oh please, Kazuko, I _need_ you to tell me a story," I whispered.

She began rubbing my back and exhaled. Her eyes locked with mine, and I could see her trying to suppress a smile, "Fine," she responded.

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><p>She began reliving her first day in SAO to me, saying that I needed to understand the setting and circumstances under which she was trapped for two years. She finished the story with quoting Akihiko Kayaba's monologue during the first day of the death game.<p>

The next story she told me was about a dragon, and how she fell into it's lair, only to ride atop the beast to escape the next morning.

It was getting late and my eyelids were beginning to feel heavy. With my head resting on the girl's lap, and her fingers gently stroking my hair, the day's events seemed more distant, almost as if it was all a dream. Almost.

Kazuko was still telling tales of her adventure and heroism within the world of swords. I was only barely listening, when I heard a name, one of the few the girl had mentioned. "Asuna." Kazuko spoke her name differently than all the others. I looked up into her eyes, shining as she recounted a time when she had, almost single handedly, defeated a floor boss. Apparently Asuna had dashed in to save several exhausted Army soldiers, but had not noticed the monster swap aggro to her. Luckily for her, Kazuko had been quick to react, deflecting the boss's strike and using her previously secret unique skill to solo it.

I sighed, wondering at how her eyes sparkled when she spoke of Asuna.

"Hey Kazuko," I started sadly, my heart felt strangely pained at what I assumed would be her answer to my next question, "Who's Asuna?"

Kazuko gave me a forced little half smile, and moved her hand to the back of her neck. She stared into space for a few seconds before finally saying, "Well… She's a lot of things."

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><p><em><strong>November 6, 2022:<strong> 9,972 players logged on for the official launch of Sword Art Online. It was the first VRMMORPG ever created. Five hours after it's launch, the world realized that the players had not logged into a game, but a death trap. At 5:30 that day, Akihiko Kayaba announced this to the players, but 241 players had already died..._

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><p><em><strong>AN: **__Okay, so I know this is a really short chapter, but before I put too much time into this, I want to hear what you people think. This story will make updates on my other story probably take a little longer, but since they take completely different mindsets to write, it shouldn't interfere that much._

_Thanks to my long-time beta-reader __**~Furrballnerd **__for all his help smoothing everything over. Also, to __**~Mauriot**_ _for all her help on writing girls, and yuri and all that. Y'all are awesome._

_Anyways, tell me what you think in your __**R&R's**__._

_Next time: **"****Ballistic"**_


	2. Ballistic

_**~Posiden666:**_ _Thank you to all of you who reviewed, your support for this fanfiction has been quite encouraging. I have sent most of you replies via P.M.s, and will not post review responses at the beginnings of chapters for this fic._

_Edit(1/30/15): I added punctuation to Shino's thoughts but not her heart._

_**Some things that may be useful in this, and later, chapters:**_

_(Particularly the difference in Shino's thoughtss.)_

"Speaking,"

_Thinking._

_~my heart~_

Narration.

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><p><strong>Heart of Lead<strong>

Chapter 2: **Ballistic**

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><p><em>...<strong>By midnight,<strong> another 700 players had died, either from panicking and dying to mobs, or committing suicide. Very few were prepared to believe it was real. In response to the mass hysteria, Mental Health Counseling program [Yui] was launched by the Cardinal system. With its help, only 207 more players lost their lives during the remainder of the month..._

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><p>"Who's Asuna?"<p>

Kazuko gave me a forced little half smile and moved her hand to the back of her neck. She stared into space for a few seconds before finally answering, "Well… She's a lot of things."

"Who is she to you?" I ask, my voice more insistent, slightly desperate, and my chest aching more.

The girl sighed, "I knew what we were once…" she responded.

It felt like a two-hundred kilogram weight was just lifted off my chest. The feeling confused me, and if I could just...figure out the reason...why..._why did I feel a sense of joy when she said that? Why does her smile make my heart skip? Why did it feel like someone was holding a gun to my chest when Kazuko spoke so fondly of a girl I've never even met?_ _A gun... No..._

My head began to spin:

_Darkness_

A man's face. A terrible face. A bloodied face.

_Blood_

A pair of hands. A child's hands. Bloodied hands.

_So much blood_

He reaches out, his eyes filled with hate and greed. His torso full of holes. His clothes stained with blood.

_Blood everywhere_

The hands clutch an object. It is dark and metallic. The man is reaching towards me.

_Stop_

They lift the object, leveling it to the man's head. It is heavy; they struggle to lift it up.

_No_

My head spins, the hands and the object disappear. I now see a little girl. My arm is outstretched. I am pleading. In her hands is an object; it's finish dull and black. The room is black. I am in agony. All I see is a little girl; all I feel is despair. And then nothing at all.

_Darkness_

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><p>My throat was raw, and my nose filled with the stench of bile. I was in my bathroom. Kazuko had, apparently, carried me there.<p>

"Hey," came her voice.

I looked around, only now realising she was kneeling next to me and rubbing my back.

"Hey…" I tried to reply, my voice coming out scratchy and pained.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah… I should be."

"Here," she said, handing me a glass of water.

I took the glass, the liquid rinsing the stinging sensation from my throat. "Thanks."

"No problem," she said, standing up and extending a hand.

I took it, and she pulled me up to her. Our faces were now dangerously close. _My breath! _ I turned away, quickly covering my mouth. "What time is?" I asked her, still looking away.

"Umm… Twelve-ish."

_Its late... I don't want to dream tonight._

"Hey Kazuko?"

"Yeah?" She replied, while I downed another glass of water. _That should be slightly better._

"Are you tired?" I asked, turning back to meet her gaze.

She pondered the question briefly, studying my expression. "I wouldn't say I'm about to pass out," she replied carefully.

_Thank goodness._

"You wanna do something fun?"

"Sure, what do you have in mind?"

"It's a surprise," I replied, grabbing her hand and pulling her back to the couch, "Wait here and close your eyes."

"Err, okay," she mumbled, closing her eyes.

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><p>"You can open your eyes now."<p>

"That took a while, is it exciting." She opened her eyes.

_It only took a few seconds to find, but I brushed my teeth too._

"I don't get it," she questioned, "It's your AmuSphere... But only one person can use it at a time."

I shook my head, a bittersweet smile spreading across my face, "It's His AmuSphere."

"Oh. So… LAN party?"

"Yeah!" I exclaimed, "Unless you don't want too…" My voice trailed off.

"No, I'd love to," she interrupted, her smile making my heart race.

_Why is this happening?_

_~it's because you like her~_

_NO! I don't… I can't! She's a girl!_

_~so?~_

_It's just… Wrong!_

_~why?~_

_Because…_

_Because…_

_Because… _

"Shino?"

_Huh?_

"Shino?!"

"I'm back," I said, shaking my head.

"Are you alright?" She asked, considerably closer than I remembered her being.

"Yeah," I sighed, "I'm fine."

"You obviously aren't. What's on your mind?" she asked, pulling both of us down to the couch, "You can tell me anything."

_I have nothing to tell her._

_~you're scared~_

_I am not!_

_~not of her ~ you're scared of yourself ~ you're scared of him ~ you're scared of darkness~_

"I-I'm scared."

"What is it that you're afraid of," she asks, her hand gently rubbing my back.

"Of Him... Of my past... Of my future... Of death..." I said, and it was true, today was the end of my sanity.

_Why do so many terrible things happen to me?_

"Hey," she said, pulling me into a hug. I buried my head in her shoulder, and began to cry.

_It feels good to cry._

"Shhh…" She whispered, "I'm here. I'll protect you from harm, and help you through your pain. You're not alone."

_~you're not alone~_

We stayed like that for a while. Me, soaking her shirt with several years worth of tears. Her, sitting at my side, whispering me promises and stroking my back. Every once and a while she'd bend down and kiss the top of my head.

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><p>My sobs stopped, having run out of tears. I lifted my gaze to meet hers. Her eyes were soft. Her smile; warm. She radiated with some special kind of Something that made me feel all fuzzy and I felt like I was about to melt.<p>

Her fingers ran through my hair again, and she asked, "Better?"

"Define better," I said, fairly sure that I was, at least for the moment, feeling less like I was alone and lost in an endless void.

"Well you stopped crying, so either it helped, or you can't cry anymore."

"I think both," I whispered.

Her smile broadened, and she pulled me into a hug. I hugged her back, and with my voice muffled against her chest, I whispered, "Thank you Kazuko."

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><p><em><strong>AN: **__Hey. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I __**love**_ _writing this. Please tell me your thoughts on it in your __**reviews**__, it's so much easier to write when I know you __**humans(?)**_ _like it._

_I have some other (definite) humans to thank for helping me write this chapter: __**~Furrballnerd,**_ _for all his help with proofing and suggestions on what sucked and what REALLY sucked (check him out, he writes for SAO too); also, my friend __**~Mauriot,**_ _for all her help with the (right now very awkward/feelzy) lesbian romance. Thanks, you humans(!) are awesome._

_That's all, remember to __**R&R**_ _and all that, I'll see you next chapter!_

_Next Time: __**Heart Shot**_


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